Are we really the best country in the world? Sometimes, I feel we are too far from being in the top ten of the best countries. Please, do not blame me, and do not think I am a bad American because I am talking about an uncomfortable truth.
Why am I bringing this now? Because at this moment, several kids are facing a human right situation. If you have followed the news, you must know 300 kids under government supervision are living a horrible time because of US government lack of organization. Only to be clear, these kids' parents were deported, and the infants are alone, traumatized, and living a nightmare.
NPR's John Burnett explains better than me the situation: "Just imagine what a drunk tank in a city jail might look like, with chain-link walls, concrete floor, no cots, an open toilet - this is how these lawyers found 350 children, from ages 17 down to infants who can't walk. They were inside of holding cells in a Border Patrol station in the little town of Clint, just outside El Paso. Three hundred and fifty kids in a space with a capacity for 104, sleeping on concrete floors, no soap, no showers. Some have the flu. And some of the children as young as eight years old were trying to care for little babies."
We are talking about scared, dirty, afraid, hungry, scared, alone kids. Some of them even speak English. Also if you are against immigrants, and you feel we should send all of the immigrants out of the US, or we should build a massive wall in the south, you must be concerned about these kids. This situation is beyond laws; it is about being humans.
For example, if you see your neighbors have their kids in similar conditions: bad food, no cleaned clothes, no showers, and no space to sleep, you will call social services. Our government is acting like bad parents.
Even if you do not like immigrants, you must be mad. They are just kids. These immigrant kids do not fault what it is happening. Why are we punishing them for other's decisions?
At least, I read some people went to this Border Patrol station, and they tried to donate all kind of staff to the kids, but the authorities do not accept donations. Then, they do not want to help either to be helped.
The worst part is this is not the first time we have this kind of situations. Last year, the government admitted they lost 1,400 kids under their supervision. Let's start from the beginning. The authorities deported thousands of no-status people. Several of them have kids, and most of them are American; these kids were born in the US, and they have the right to live in our country.
We are talking about over seven thousands of kids. They were sent to sponsors and family members. These adults must report and communicate with the Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services. One thousand four hundred of these sponsors never answered the calls. Then, at this moment, we do not where these kids are. I hope they are well, but maybe they are not. They could be facing any horrible experiences, and it is our fault.
I am a shame of us in our country. At this moment, we are treating criminals better than these kids.
We are part of this country; I make this country; it is in our hands to make it better. We are better than child abusers. Again, no matter what is your opinion about immigrants, this situation must not happen; we must be mad. They are mistreating kids with our taxes.
So, remember we have the right to ask our representatives to act now; we can ask the judges to push the government by sentences, and we must not forget all this the next time we vote.